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Lando Norris recently shared insights into his mentality while battling his close friends on the track. Norris dismissed the narrative suggesting his off-track friendships were influencing how he races on the track, especially being involved in a title fight with Max Verstappen.
The 24-year-old McLaren driver is a popular figure in the paddock and maintains good relationships with several drivers on the grid. Most notably, his friendship with Verstappen has grown over the years but was tested when they collided in Austria. The incident didn't put a dent in their friendship, as they reconciled quickly.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Norris opened up about his friendship on and off the track. Norris emphasized that he sets his friendship aside once he puts on his helmet and does not allow his off-track camaraderie to influence his mentality behind the wheel.
"As soon as I put the helmet on, I hate everyone. That doesn’t change. A lot of people think because I get along with someone here, or because, I don’t know, just play on a game with someone, that you’re just best mates in life, no matter what you do. That’s just nonsense," he said.
Norris, 24, also spoke about his friendship with Verstappen, mentioning that he likes the Red Bull driver due to his genuine nature, but stressed that both are rivals on the track.
"We do those things. We have similar interests. We play padel together, that kind of stuff. And I like Max as a guy, I think he’s a very genuine guy. But that doesn’t change anything when I’m on the track," he added.
Norris further elaborated on the contrarian opinion, stating that he enjoys defeating his peers, with whom he gets along off the track. He firmly dismissed the narrative of him being "nice" to other drivers on the track.
Lando Norris reflects on the Austria collision, insists he won the battle
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen fought a bitter battle to win the Austrian GP, which ended in disaster for both drivers. Although Verstappen managed to salvage a fifth-place result, the excessive damage forced Norris to retire his car.
Despite the unfavorable outcome, the McLaren driver insists he emerged victorious, as he challenged the reigning champion, which marked a significant episode in their title battle.
"Things didn’t end the way I wanted them to. And I still feel like on that Sunday, I probably won the battle of … taking the fight to him, although I didn’t win who came out on top that day." he said in the aforementioned interview.
Norris acknowledged that Max Verstappen is the toughest driver to race but pointed out that the Red Bull driver has much more experience racing at the front, something that he is getting accustomed to this season.
"Max is probably the hardest guy to race on the track. He’s probably one of the most aware in terms of situations. And helped by him being in this position for the last four or five years. For me, it’s still quite new."
With six rounds left in the 2024 season, Verstappen holds a 52-point lead over Norris, who is in hot form after a dominant Singapore GP victory.
